After a few weeks of baking, I started feeling a bit cocky. Recipes? Who needs them? I thought I’d wing it with whatever ingredients were hanging out in the pantry. After all, baking’s just throwing things in a bowl, right?
Here’s what I had to work with: half an organic pumpkin begging to be used, two kinds of flour (baking and spelt), eggs, caster and brown sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and the real star—a stash of walnuts I scored from my delightful (and frugal!) colleague, Francesca.
So, I got to work.
I chopped up the pumpkin (about 2 cups), steamed it until soft, then mashed it into submission with a potato masher. In went the eggs, half a cup of vegetable oil, a cup each of caster and brown sugar, and a quick whisk until it looked, well, smooth-ish. Then came the flours—one cup of spelt, one cup of baking flour, and a generous sprinkle of that raising agent. Lastly, I threw in a mountain of Francesca’s walnuts, which at this point I hoped would salvage the whole thing.
The oven went to 180°C, and I set the timer for one hour. Or so I thought… because this beauty needed a good extra 20 minutes.
The result? Well, let’s just say it wasn’t *bad*, exactly. Not sweet enough for dessert, but it worked as a breakfast or snack situation. Lesson learned: bakers actually know what they’re doing. Me? I should probably stick to a recipe for a while.
Love,
V
